We Got Married!!!!! Our Tucson Wedding
To make it feel special, we decorated a bit with photographs, signs, fabric, and wedding decor brought from home:
We also bought some flowers from the local supermarket to add to the wedding vibe [plus Dollar Store jars to put them in :)]
And we brought this simple arch to get married under:
It looked perfect…exactly the small, low key wedding we wanted!
So, at 6:00pm, we got had our little wedding ceremony and got married!!! It was just the two of us, our officiant Courtney, and the couple who own the airbnb (since we needed two witnesses.) Here we are at the wedding arch:
Courtney’s words were perfect for us! The ceremony was short but very meaningful, since she wrote it after talking to us on the phone about how we met, why we wanted to get married, and what we liked most about each other. Here’s what she said:
Welcome,
Iām so happy to be here today with you. I am honored to witness and
perform this special ceremony today here before God and these two lovely
people .
Jac and Betsy, today we celebrate the power of your love and the strength of your bond. There
are few greater joys in life than finding someone with whom we truly
“click.” In that spirit, I will now share a short reading on soulmates
from author Richard Bach:
“A
soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit
our locks. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves
step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are; we can be
loved for who we are and not for who we’re pretending to be. Each
unveils the best part of the other. No matter what else goes wrong
around us, with that one person we’re safe in our own paradise. Our
soulmate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of
direction. When we’re two balloons, and together our direction is up,
chances are we’ve found the right person. Our soulmate is the one who
makes life come to life.”
May this ceremony provide you with wonderful memories to look back on and treasure for the rest of your days.
Wedding Sermon
Jac and Betsy,
as you stand here today before God, realize that you are preparing to
celebrate one of life’s greatest gifts, the depths of which you have
only begun to explore. Your level of love and commitment is something
that many seek, but not everyone finds. The bond you share is a rarity
in this world, and its fruits more valuable than any precious stone or
metal.
Marriage,
of course, is more than a formal exchange of rings. It is a sacred and
solemn promise to one another that no matter what, you’re in this
together. Life is full of surprises ā both positive and negative as you
both well know. By nature, it’s impossible to know what is around the
next bend. However, with a trusted partner by your side, you may take
comfort in the unknown. Whatever storms may come, you will weather them
together. That is the beauty of love: not only does it cradle us when we
are feeling weak and tired, it creates a solid foundation on which we
can always rely.
Henceforth,
your lives will become even more permanently intertwined. With the vows
exchanged today, you will both finalize this promise and begin life
anew, together.
Love is the soil from which life itself grows. As Carl Sagan famously wrote:
“The
world is so exquisite with so much love and moral depth. We should
remain grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that
life provides. The sum of all our evolution, our thinking and our
accomplishments is love.”
Vows
Now it is time to exchange your vows.Jac and Betsy, you have prepared vows of commitment to share with one another. Jac, would you like to go first?
(We don’t have these written down. Bummer.)
Betsy, whenever you’re ready.
(We don’t have these written down. Bummer.)
Declaration of Intent
Jac and Betsy, please hold hands. Jac, do you take Betsy
as your Wife and your companion? Do you promise to share her laughter
during the good times and wipe her tears during the bad, from this day
forward? [ Jac: I Do ]
Betsy, do you take Jac
as your Husband and companion? Do you promise to share his laughter
during the good times and wipe his tears during the bad, from this day
forward? [Betsy: I Do]
Pronouncement
By the power vested in me by the state of Arizona, I now formally pronounce Jac and Betsy to be Husband and Wife. Jac, you may now kiss your Bride.
And then celebrated some more with our super yummy cake from a local bakery:
Married! Jac and Betsy….married! Wow! Here’s our marriage license to prove it.
